Record harvest last year for Carnarvon growers

The Department of Agriculture and Food says Carnarvon fruit and vegetable growers produced a record harvest last year, seemingly overcoming the impact of floods in 2010.

Production was up 38 per cent on the previous year, to a total value of nearly $100 million.

However, this year is expected to be less productive, with a lack of water threatening crops.

The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Ken Baston, says work is underway to alleviate water issues in areas where further expansion is planned.

"Expansion will only take place if the water is available," he said.

"There's plenty more land up there but we always need to make sure that we have the water to match the land.

"As you move further inland, it gets colder and the crops you might grow closer to the coast won't be necessarily be able to grow further inland so it's a matter of matching the crops to the land and the water.

"We're looking at further developing land but of course we need to match that with water.

"It wasn't actually a land issue, it was always a water issue.

"So I'd be wanting to make sure that adequate water was available before we did any further land development."